That is a paper by Shasha Wang, who is on the job market from the University of Pennsylvania. Here is the abstract: This paper studies two mechanisms that jointly contribute to thinness premium in the marriage market: the economic mechanism and the non-economic mechanism. My empirical findings from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID)
The post Unraveling the female thinness premium appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION.
That is a paper by Shasha Wang, who is on the job market from the University of Pennsylvania. Here is the abstract:
This paper studies two mechanisms that jointly contribute to thinness premium in the marriage market: the economic mechanism and the non-economic mechanism. My empirical findings from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) reveal that all else being equal, thinner females are more likely to marry richer males. A one-unit increase in BMI (Body Mass Index), roughly equivalent to a six-pound increase for a 5’6″ figure, is associated with a 3.9% decrease in the husband’s annual labor income for noncollege wives and a 4.3% decrease for college-educated wives. Using the Simulated Method of Moments to estimate a two-stage static matching equilibrium model, this paper determines whether the observed preference for thinner female partners in the marriage market is a result of assortative mating due to the thinness premium in the labor market or is driven by non-economic factors such as a preference for smaller body sizes or other traits associated with smaller body sizes, such as self-discipline, active social interactions, and positive social image. The estimation results indicate that the positive correlation between a husband’s income and his wife’s thinness is primarily attributed to a male preference for thinner spouses. Women with a BMI below 25 only earn 4% more income than those with a BMI above 25 (assuming all other factors are equal), but having a wife with a BMI below 25 significantly enhances a husband’s utility, akin to a 1.15 times increase in his consumption.
Please note that is not her job market paper. Her main paper is a very interesting piece on when/where STEM gaps arise across men and women.
The post Unraveling the female thinness premium appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION.
Data Source, Economics, Uncategorized